Combined door and step-cover operating mechanism for passenger-cars.



H. ROWNTREE. COMBINED DOOR AND STEP COVER OPERATING MECHANISM FOR PASSENGER CA RS. APPLICATION FILED OCT. 29. 1912.

1,184,133. Patented May 23,1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

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COMBINED DOOR AND STEP COVER OPERATING MECHANTSM FOR PASSENGER CARS.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 29. 1912.

THE COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH (30., WASHINGTON, n. c.

' TED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HAROLD ROWN'IREE, OF KENILWORTH, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO NATIONAL PNEU- MATIC COMPANY, OF NEVT YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF WEST VIRGINIA.

COMBINED DOOR AND STEP-COVER OPERATING MECHANISM FOR PASSENGERFCARS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 23, 1916.

Application filed October 29, 1912. Serial No. 728,377.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, HAROLD ROWNTREE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Kenilworth, county of Cook, State of H11- nois, have made acertain new and useful Invention in combined Door and Step- Oover Operating Mechanism for Passenger- Cars, of'which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a combined door and step cover operating mechanism for passenger cars.

The object of the invention 1s to prov de a combined door and step cover operatlng mechanism which is simple in construction and eflicient in operation.

A further object is to provide a construction of the character referred to which is automatic in action.

A. further object is to provide a mechanism of the character referred to wherein, in opening, the step cover is moved into position collapsed against the door before the door movement begins.

A further object is to provide a mechanism of the character referred to wherein, in closing, the door completes its closing movement before the step cover is moved into position to accomplish its function of cover for the steps.

Other objects of the invention will appear more fully hereinafter.

The invention consists substantially in the construction, combination, location and arrangement of parts, all as will be more fully hereinafter set forth, as shown in the accompanying drawings and finally pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, I

and to the various views and reference signs appearing thereon :Figure l is a View in elevation of a door showing operation of a mechanism embodying the principles of my invention, the door being in closed position. Fig. 2 is a view in side elevation, showing the parts with the door in its closed position and the step cover in its normal position when the door is closed. Fig. 3 is a broken view in perspective'of a door showing a step cover applied thereto in accordance with my invention. Fig. 4 is a view in horizontal section on the line 4:, 4, Fig. 3, looking in the direction of the arrows. Fig. 5 is a similar view on the line 5, 5, Fig. 3, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 6 is a broken detail view in section on area or opening which is exceedingly dangerous to passengers and liable to cause accidents.

Ordinarily thereis provided a manually operated flap or step cover for this aperture which is raised and lowered by hand in some proposed arrangements, or which is carried by the door at an angle therewith and moves with the door into the side pocket of the car. Thisis objectionable as in the case of interurban cars which have to make frequent stops, the cover must be raised and lowered by hand at each stop, thereby causing delay in the rapid transit of the car, and when the cover is carried by the door an enlarged pocket is necessary, and besides in practice such an arrangement has not been found to be satisfactory.

It is among the special purposes of my present invention to provide means whereby the opening and closing of the door and the raising and lowering of the step cover is accomplished automatically. I also propose to construct and arrange the step cover and its operating mechanism so that there will be no possibility of passengers standing upon it at the moment the door is opened, and also so that, in closing, the door will complete its closing movement before the step cover is projected into position to form a cover for the step area to be guarded, and in opening the cover will close'against the side of the door before the opening movement of the door commences.

In carrying out my invention, I propose to provide a shield or stepcover attached to the door, which when the door is closed will project from the door toward the interior of the platform at an angle and in such relation as to cover the steps, and when the door is open will lie up against the side of the door. And I provide means whereby when the door is operated or moved to open the door the shield or step cover is first drawn flat against the door before the door begins its opening movement, and in closing, the door completes its closlng movement, and.

then the shield or cover is projected into position over thesteps to close the exposed step openingln theplatform.

WhileI have shown 'a specific construc;

3 power cylinder-'1, in which operates a double piston connected byan intermediate rack, not shown,.wh1ch engages with a segment gear-2, to which is secureda lever-3. Such an operating motor is shownin Patent. No. 1,001,989, issued Aug. 29, 1911. The free end of this lever is pivotally connected, as at 4, to a slide 5, which operates on the slide bar 6, fastened to the rear edge of the door 12, at 7 and 8. The object of'the mechanism thus far described is to open and close the door, which result is accomplished by the movement of the piston in the cylinder and the consequent-rocking of the segment and thelever8. When the lever B raises along the'slide bar 6 the door is drawn open and when said lever is lowered along the said bar the door is moved toward its closed position.. I I

The gear2, is fastened solidly upon the pin or shaft 9. A cam 10 is also fastened upon the said .pin or shaft 9 to rock therewith, This cam has a concentric circular portion for the greater portionof its periphery but is provided with a flattened face 11, on one portion of its peripheral-edge. A lever 21ispivoted at 23 to a suitable fixed supportin such a position that the edge of said lever rests against the flat face 11 of the cam 10, when the door is in fully closed position. The outer or free end of lever 21 has fixed thereon an arm 22 carries two vertical slide rods 13, and 1 1, on its'inside face near its front and rear edges respectively, and on these slide rods the upper edge of a step cover or shield 15,

is pivotally connected so that the upper edge of the cover can slide upward and downward on the slides 13 and 14;. These slides are arranged so that when the cover. or

shield is in its highest upper position on the slides, the cover or shield 15 lies folded flat against the door, and-when the cover 15 is in its lowest position on the slides 13 and 14,-the lower edge of the cover 15 will be projected sufiiciently outwardly to cover the step aperture. p 1

On the inner face of the door at or near The door 12 its front and rear edges arefastened bearings l6 and 17, in which a shaft 18 is journaled. This shaft carries twoprojecting arms 19, the outer ends of which-are piv otally connected to cover 15, as shown, and

said arms or the hubs thereof, take bearing against the bearing 16, 17 thereby preventf'mg the shaft 18 from endwise or longitudinal movementrelatively to the door 12, that is, the shaft 18 is carried by and moves with the door in its motion in opening and closing. a q When the shaft 18 is partially revolved Wardly, it will be seenthat the step'cover or shield 15 will be movedupwardly on its guidesvl3, 14, and its loweredge will be moved inwardly, so as to lie flat against the door, and when the arms 19, are rocked e downwardly, the cover 15 ,will be moved downwardly on its, guides 13, 14c, and its lower edge projected outwardly from the door toward the interior of the platform, and into position to cover the step aperture.

ment before it is projected into position to. form ,a step cover.

In the arrangement shown for accomplishing this vresult the shaft 18 projects beyond the rear edge of the door 12, a somewhat greater distance than the travel of said door, and at or near its I rear end,'said shaft passes freely through an arm or lever 20. This arm 20 is so mounted as to rock only in an upward and downward direction and the shaft 18 slides throughit during the opening and closing movements of the door.

- Means are provided whereby any rocking movement given tothe lever 20,'is transmitted to the shaft 18. This is accomplished bymaking the shaft 18, orthat portion of it, that slides through the lever 20, of squarecross section, and by making which it slides, of similar shape. a

The outer or free end of lever 21,is connectedby a crank arm or rod 22, to the in its bearings so as to rock. the arm 19 upi the bore of the hub of arm 20, through outer end of lever 20. The rotation of the p a cam 10, causes the lever 21 to be rocked vertically and by reason of the free end of said lever being removed farther from the ful-j crum 23 than cam'10, and by reason of the lever 21 lying against the flattened surface 21, is magnified at the initial stage of-rotaof the cam, when the door is completely closed, the action of the cam upon thelever tion of the cam, thereby giving a quick and rapid motion to said lever and through it v and the connecting rod 22 to the arm or lever 20 thereby rocking shaft 18 and hence causing levers 19 to rock, thereby shifting the shield or cover 15, as above described before the door proceeds toward open position to any considerable extent.

It will be noticed as shown, that when the door is in its closed position the end 1 of the lever 3, is in a horizontal plane slightly lower than that of the shaft 9, and, therefore, the first portion of the motion of the lever 3 will have no tendency to open the door and before the continued motion of the lever 3 initiates the movement of the door toward its open position the cam 10 will raise the lever 21, thereby pulling the shield or step covering against the side of the door where it is held in place by the circular or concentric portion of the face of the cam 10.

lVhen the door 12 is being closed the shield or step cover 15 will still be held against the side of the door by the action of the circular or concentric portion of the cam 10 but when the door is fully in closed position, the final motion of the lever 3 will bring the flat face 11 of the cam 10 under the lever 21 whereupon spring 24 will pull the lever 21 quickly down upon the face 11 of the cam and thereby throw the lower edge of the shield or cover 15 into its outward and downward position to form a step cover. If it is desired at any time to operate the door 12 without the shield or step cover 15, being operated, the latter may be retained in its folded position against the side of the door by any suitable catch device, as indicated at 25.

The shield or step cover 15 may also be operated by hand whenever required by simply rocking lever 21 against the action of the spring 24. The motor which operates the door may be controlled in any suitable or convenient manner and, if desired, may be of any desired cushion type. I have shown a simple arrangement wherein the supply of pressure medium to andvfrom the respective closed ends of the double cylinders is controlled through a control valve mechanism indicated generally at 4:0, and having a control or operating handle 41.

Having now set forth the objects and nature of my invention and a construction embodying the principles thereof, what I claim as new and useful and of my own invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent is z- 1. In a combined door and step cover, operating mechanism, a door, a step cover associated therewith, means for moving the door to open and closed position, and connections operated coincidently with the door moving means for shifting the cover into and out of position to form a cover,

the step cover being moved out of cover position in advance of substantial movement of the door from its closed position.

2. In a combined door and step cover operating mechanism, a door, a step cover associated therewith, means for moving the door-to open and closed position, and connections operated coincidently with the door moving means for shifting the cover into and out of position to form a cover, the door actuating means operating to substantially complete the door closing movements before the step cover is shifted into position to form a cover for the steps.

3. The combination with a door and means for moving the same, of a step cover carried by the'door, and connections operated by the door moving means for moving the cover against the door in advance of any substantial opening movement of said door.

4. The combination with a door and means for moving the same, of a step cover carried by the door, and connections operated by the door moving means for moving the cover against the door, said connections operating in advance of any substantial door opening movement.

5. The combination with a door and means for moving the same, of a step cover carried by the door, and connections operated by the door moving means for moving the step cover into and'out of position to form a. cover for the steps, said connections operating to move the cover into position to form a step cover after the door substantially completes its movements in closing.

6. The combination with a door and means for moving the same, of a step cover having hinged connections with the door and means actuated by the door moving means for rocking the step cover relatively to the door and into and out of position for use.

7. The combination with a door and means for moving the same, of a step cover having hinged connections with the door, and means actuated by the door moving means for rocking the cover relatively to the door into and out of position for use, said means operating in advance of the opening movement of the door to any appreciable extent to move the cover out of position for use.

8. The combination with a door and means for operating the same, of a step cover having hinged connections with the door, and means actuated by the door moving means for rocking the cover relatively to the door into and out of position for use, said means operating after the door has substantially completed its closing movement to move the cover into position for use.

9. The combination with a door and means for operating the same, of a step cover associated with the door, connections operated by the door operating means for cover. to be projectedover the area vto be covered or to lie up against the door. 11. The combination With a a door and means for moving the same, of a step cover having hinged connection with the door, and means actuated by the door moving means for projecting the cover over the area to be covered and to withdraw the same against the side of the door.

12. The combination with a door and means for moving thesame, of a step cover having hinged connection-with the door, means actuated by the door moving means for projecting the cover over the area to be covered, and to withdraw the same against the side of the door, said means serving to retain the coveragainst the door andout of position for use, during the door movements.

13. The combination with a door and means for moving the same, of a step cover movably connected to the door, a member connected to the door to move therewith, means operated by the door moving means for moving said member relative to the door,

and means operated by the movement of said member relative to the door for shifting the step cover into and out of position for use. I t

14. The combination of a door, means for moving the same, a cam operated thereby, a step cover movably connected to the door, and means operated by the cam for moving the cover into and out of position for use.

15. The combination of a door, means for moving the same, a camoperated thereby, a lever actuated by the cam, a step cover movably connected to the door, and means 0p- I erated by said lever cam for moving the step to the door,'connections between the cover, 1

and rod whereby when-theilatter is rotated the cover-is moved relative tothe door into and out of position for use, andmeans operated by the door moving means forrotativelv moving said rod; a

17. The combination of a door,meansfor moving the same, an axially rotative rod connected to the door, a cam operated by the door moving means, devices actuated by the cam for axially rotating said rod, 2. step cover and connections betWeenthestep cover and rodfor moving the'cover into and out of position for us Y s 18. The. combination of a door, means for moving the same, an axially rotative rod connected to the door, a cam operatedby the door moving means, a leverarranged ,to-be engaged and rocked by, said cam, i connections vbetween said lever and rod whereby I when the former is-rocked the latter is axi- V ally rotated, a step cover carried the door, and connections operated bythe axial rotative movement of the rod for moving the cover into and out of position for use.

, 19. The combination with a door 1' and. means for moving the same, of a step cover,

connections for operating, the step cover, and means common to the door and cover operating means for controlling the same," the step cover being moved out of position for use in advance of any substantial opening movement of the door.

In testimony whereof Ihave hereunto set my hand in the presence of the'subscribing witnesses, on this 26th day of October A. D., 1912. v

' HAROLD ROWNTREE.

Witnesses: a,

i S. E. DARBY,

' /VVA. DARBY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner o I Patent sL Washington, I). C." i 

